


Tale as Old as Time

by InsightfulInsomniac



Category: Band of Brothers, Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, Heavy Angst, Joe Toye is the Beast, M/M, Of course Luz is Belle, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism, Pining, Romance, Slight Canon Divergences, Some dark themes, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 06:10:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11155869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsightfulInsomniac/pseuds/InsightfulInsomniac
Summary: Prince Joseph has long hidden the secret of his sexuality from his kingdom until one day he is faced with a choice to deny himself or accept himself in front of his people. When he refuses to admit to his true self, he is and his castle is cursed. Prince Joseph is now a hideous beast and his staff and friends are now pieces of furniture. He must break the curse by the time the last petal of the rose falls on 25th birthday or face eternal damnation as this creature.George Luz is an odd boy from the village who just wants to be himself. While his mother is supportive of everything he is, the village doubts and shames him. When his mother is captured by a beast on one of her trips into town, George decides to take her place as the beast's prisoner.While the two of them begin to grow closer, tensions grow in the village. Will the curse be broken in time?Beauty and the Beast gone Band of Brothers. Slight canon divergences (from Beauty and the Beast) will occur.





	1. The Curse

**Author's Note:**

> I was rewatching the live-action "Beauty and the Beast" when I was struck with this idea that I actually love. Any canon divergences from Beauty and the Beast (for example, the age being changed to 25 for the curse to break and the time period being shortened to 5 years) are intentional.
> 
> I do not own anything Disney or Band of Brothers related.

_Many years ago, the castle had been alive with laughter, light, and music. Parties with only the highest class in attendance were held almost nightly, with beautiful women in elaborate gowns of silk flocking to the prince's throne._

_Prince Joseph rarely moved from his golden seat, preferring just to take in the luxurious lifestyle he lived. While being royalty had its benefits, Joe knew that even he was missing an important piece to his life's puzzle. Even though he's the crown prince, he can't change the mindset of an entire kingdom._

_Only his dear mother ever knew his secret, though he's sure his father found out. He'd like to believe his father had reason for the spitting words and the lashes of the belts. Maybe he was innately cruel, or maybe he knew. Nevertheless, when his mother died, Joe vowed to take his secret to the grave._

_For generations, it had been illegal to be homosexual in the kingdom, and as long as his father was alive, it was going to stay that way. One would think that Joe, being gay, would change the laws of the kingdom once he rose to power, but his kingdom would revolt against him. They would shun him and storm the castle with blazing pitchforks, screaming to "kill the prince!"_

_So he kept to himself, deciding to instead adopt the demeanor that he was meant to, the one that his father taught him. The one that got him women, power, and success._

_He was arrogant, brash, and prideful. In the quiet darkness of the night, Joe hated himself. But the kingdom seemed to love Prince Joseph, so he didn't want to tarnish his image by letting a little bit of Joe slip through._

_But one night, amidst all of the grandeur of yet another dinner party, the dancing just underway. Prince Joseph sat idly, merely watching the couples waltz to a soft melody. No one paid him much attention, aside from a few demurely suggestive glances from the women, to which he responded with a dark smirk._

_All was normal. That is, until the doors to the ballroom were flung open, a hunchbacked old woman practically crumbling under the weight of her rain-soaked coat shuffling into the room. The crowd of dancers parted ways, leaving room for Joe to approach her. Looking down at her with utter disdain, he addressed her in the condescending way his father taught him to address peasants._

_"What are you doing here, woman?" He spits out, sneering at her. She slowly raises her head up to face him, challenge evident in her eyes._

_"Do you, Prince Joseph, deny yourself the truth?"_

_He debates casting her aside and banishing her from his palace, but his curiosity takes over. "What?"_

_"Your father is dead, Joseph. Why deny the truth inside of you?" She continues. "Change the laws. Face your fears."_

_"You must be mad, woman," he sneers. "You're talking gibberish."_

_"I know who you are, Joseph. You have one final chance. Tell me, will you speak the truth about yourself?" She threatens, awaiting his response._

_Joe can feel himself falter, but one glance at the elite surrounding him and he musters all of his resolve. "There is nothing to tell."_

_The elderly woman begins to rise, a pulsating energy filling the ballroom. Suddenly, Joe is thrown off of his feet, sent scrambling backwards as she begins to transform in a burst of glowing gold._

_From the cloud of light, a beautiful enchantress emerges, floating and ethereal. The people scatter as she begins to move slowly towards Joe, fleeing for their lives._

_"You have brought a great curse upon yourself and your household," she bellows, the entire castle vibrating. "Until you proclaim your true self and find true love, you will live as the beast you are."_

_A rose in a glass jar appears on a table in a nearby wing of the room. Casting a glowing light onto it, the enchantress continues to speak._

_"The petals will continue to fall from this rose until your twenty-fifth birthday. If you have not broken the spell by then, you will be stuck in the form of a beast forever."_

_And with a great explosion of light, she was gone._

_Joe felt something stir inside of him, feeling himself becoming very dizzy. He looked down in horror to notice fur sprouting from his hands, a great pain in his forehead erupting._

_Running to a nearby mirror, he screams in terror. He no longer sees his own face, but the fur, fangs, horns, and claws of a beast. In his rage, he tears through the room, cutting through the family portrait hung above the evil rose._

_Only then, during his rampage, does he notice that his staff, his only friends, have transformed as well._

_"Joe, pal, what's going on?" Bill asks worriedly, eyeing the golden limbs of his now candelabra-shaped body. "What the hell is happening?"_

_Joe sighs sadly, biting back the tears that threaten to spill over. "I couldn't do it. I'm sorry; I never meant to hurt any of you."_

_A small table clock bounces over to stand next to Bill. "What the fuck is going on?"_

_A deep whirring noise accompanies Babe's exclamation, but it's still his voice. "Everyone in the castle is now some sort of fuckin' homeware."_

_"Frannie!" Bill exclaims in sudden realization, glancing around for his fiancée. "Frannie!"_

_"Bill, I'm here; I'm alright," a porcelain bird-shaped feather duster settles gently next to the candelabra. "Joe, what is all of this?"_

_"I've damned us all with this curse," he growls, his sharp claws digging into the skin of his paws. "An enchantress was here. She demanded I change the laws of the kingdom regarding..." he grimaces. "My sexuality. I refused."_

_"Oh," was all the reply he received, from Babe and Bill in unison._

_"I'm sorry," he laments again. "I never thought it would do so much harm."_

_"Ah, but denying yourself does more harm than good in any life," the voice of Eugene Roe, his physician and resident musician, remarks. Joe turns around to face a grand piano staring back at him, a somehow human depth to his eyes._

_"Gene, oh my god," Babe exclaims, hopping over to his lover. Using the help of their dog-turned-piano bench, Hugo, he manages to extend an ornately-carved finial towards Roe. The piano sighs, a sad melody unintentionally emitting from him._

_"Renée is a wardrobe upstairs in the guest bedroom of the East Wing," Eugene explains. "Lipton's a teapot and Carter is a teacup."_

_"Shit, does Speirs even know about all of this?" Bill asks incredulously. "His husband and child are dishes and he's just doing his job as a soldier in the village."_

_"He has no idea," Roe replies. "I know this type of magic; I can feel it. My grandmother studied these types of enchantments. No one knows we exist. They're oblivious; anyone outside the castle forgets our existence."_

_"I have until my twenty-fifth birthday to find my true love," Joe states, sounding absolutely repulsed by himself. "Five years."_

_Bill jumps over to him carefully, patting his leg. "We'll get through this together, buddy. It'll be alright."_

_"Yeah, no one blames you," Babe chimes in. "You'll be okay."_

_Joe roars, sprinting towards the doorway and in the direction of his room. "It's not okay! I blame myself!"_

_He turns to leap away, but stops. "No one may go into this wing anymore! The west wing is closed!"_

_He disappears with a growl, and Roe sighs._

_"Quel sort triste pour un homme qui n'en mérite pas."_


	2. Too Much To Ask?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George Luz considers his life and why he still is living in his small, close-minded village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this fic is moving along more steadily than I expected. I hope you guys are liking it! We'll be back in the castle next chapter :)

_Nearly Five Years Later_

"Good morning, Monsieur Winters!"

George Luz grins brightly and waves enthusiastically at the redheaded librarian. The tall man on the ladder smiles warmly at him, stepping down to greet him.

"Hello, George. How are you doing?"

"Pretty great, Cap," Dick Winters rolls his eyes at the nickname from his military years. "Just finished this book, and it was one hell of a ride," he winks cheekily at the older man as he shoots him a glare for the expletive.

"Two lovers in fair Verona, distanced by their families' history," he sighs wistfully. "It was very romantic."

"I didn't take you for the Shakespeare type, Luz," a teasing voice remarks from behind George. Luz doesn't even need to hear the voice to guess who it is; the telling look in Winters' eyes is evidence enough.

"Yeah, well, I don't have much of a choice," he turns to face Lewis Nixon, Dick's partner. "I think this is the last one that I haven't read."

Winters sighs. "Yep. You've burned through my entire library, Luz. Maybe the Nixons will let you into theirs."

Nix snorts. "Good luck with that. They don't even let me into the library anymore."

George shoots him a sympathetic grin, recognizing the joke but understanding the story. While Winters and Nix led a very private life and a secret relationship, it was dangerous to even be suspected of homosexuality. Therefore, with the Nixons being a high-class, wealthy family with a status they need to maintain, they practically disowned Lewis.

He then moved in with the Winters family, only being sixteen at the time. Very few people knew about the relationship between Dick and Lew, but many suspected.

George happened to be one of the few trusted with the secret. He had been a patron of the humble library for as long as he could remember, reading every book the couple supplied. They went off to war for a few years, but eventually came back with stories that were nearly as interesting as the books.

Luz would often find himself at their home for dinner, with his mother occasionally accompanying him. Most people in the village believed Margarethe Luz was a bit on the crazy side, so they often shied away from her and her odd son. But Winters and Nix welcomed them, and they were actually the first two people George came out to.

It had happened so quickly that Luz nearly forgets it ever happened. The three of them were sitting around the table, eating and chatting amicably. Dick had laughed at something Nix said, and George was suddenly jealous of what they shared. Not that he wanted either one of the men, but he wanted the love they had.

"I'm gay," he had blurted out, only to be met with two pairs of blinking eyes and a light laugh from Nixon.

"Well, congrats. Welcome to the club."

George had grinned at that, letting out a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding.

After that, it was easy. The only person left to tell was his mom, who he knew would accept him. She did, with a big hug and a kiss pressed into his unruly hair.

That was nearly five years ago. Now, Winters and Nix are talking about marriage, even though they're not allowed to wed. George wants to give whoever is running this damn kingdom a good talking to and possibly a slap upside the head.

But for now, they have small rendezvous in the library and at their home, along with the occasional visit from Captain Speirs, a war buddy Winters and Nix had met during their time of service.

He had a husband and a child, but no one knew what happened to them when they disappeared five years ago. They supposedly worked at the castle, but when the palace just randomly vanished, everyone just seemed to ignore it. Except for Ron, George, Winters, and Nix. They seemed to remember something about its existence, though they'd be treated as lunatics if they would bring it up.

"Well, George, feel free to reread any of the books you would like. They're all open to you," Dick comments kindly, breaking George of his reverie. "Stop by any time."

Grabbing a random book off of the nearest shelf, he waves one last time before heading to the door. "Thanks, guys. See ya around!"

"Bye, George."

Practically skipping his way to pick up some bread and the laundry for his mother, George greets each of the village folk happily (as he normally does). It's not until he runs into her, with her silken, frilly gown and too-tall hair. Her lips are painted a deep red, a stark contrast to her pale, heavily powdered skin.

"Hello, Monsieur Luz," she greets with a bat of her eyelashes, a devilishly mischievous look in her eyes. It's something George would normally go for, if she was not so arrogant and, uh, _female_.

"Good morning, Gabrielle," he quickly replies, attempting to duck past her.

When he feels a hand grip his arm, he knows he's lost the momentary battle. "George, darling. I've talked to my parents, and they said they would offer your mother a hefty dowry for me."

She bats her eyelashes at him again, trying to appear demure, but George knows this girl is plain _evil_.

"Uh, thanks but no thanks, Gabrielle. I'm not interested."

"But Georgie," she pouts, and he hates how the nickname sounds on her lips. "You're almost past the prime age to get married, and my parents are still willing to offer you my hand. You should really accept."

"You should really leave me alone," he counters, wrenching his shirt from her grasp. "I will not take your hand in marriage, Gabrielle!"

Covering the last steps to his house in a few quick strides, he slams the door behind him. His mother looks up from her painting, noting the annoyance in his son's demeanor.

"Gabrielle again?" She asks knowingly, and he groans with a nod.

"Who else? She might be the prettiest, wealthiest girl in the village, but she cannot take no for an answer!"

He plops down next to his mom at her art table, noting the familiar face she is painting. "Papa again?"

She smiles softly. "Yes. I thought I'd try to finish it before my next trip to town, but I ought to leave today. Do you want anything?"

George pretends to think about it for a moment. "A rose. Just like the ones Papa used to bring you."

"You have always been quite the romantic, sweetheart," she teases affectionately, grabbing her satchel. "I'll be back in three days time."

He kisses her cheek. "I'll miss you, Mama."

She rumples his hair before heading to the door, George following her to send her off. "You won't even realize I am gone. Say hi to Winters and Nixon for me."

"Okay, Mama. Have fun."

With a wave, Margarethe hops into the seat on her cart pulled by their horse, Philippe. Just a quick tug of the reigns and they're off to town, George left standing in the doorway of his small home.

He sighs to himself. "I want so much more than this life."

Without knowing where his feet will carry him, he finds himself in a grassy field, where he sits to think for a while.

All of the books he's ever read have detailed lives of adventure and romance, loves that feel so out of reach in his little village. If only he could escape Gabrielle, escape the doubters, escape the laws and live a happy life with his soulmate. That's all he asks for.

Is that too much to ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you know the plotline of Beauty and the Beast, you should know what the next chapter calls for...
> 
> Also, quick survey. Does anyone want to learn more about Gabrielle? I was debating if I should include an altered Gaston song...

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all are enjoying this, because I sure am! You all will also find out how Lip and Ron got married and adopted a child when homosexuality is banned... that's a story for a later chapter ;)


End file.
